Cisco certification changes Feb 24th 2020

This affects a lot of people but for those of us enrolled in WGU: Network operations and Security it really affects us. I'd encourage you to reach out to your mentors to see if there is a plan yet for what will become of our degree plans. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/next-level-certifications.html

Losing the CCENT, CCDA, and CCNA:S removes 16 credits from our term and possibly 22 credits depending on how ICND2 is treated in the degree. Yikes!

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NetworkingStudent

DZA_ said:

I think at this point in my career that I am going to retire my CCNA at the end of August. The upkeep for certificates are just getting out of hand.

I wish I was at this point in my career. I agree Certs are getting harder to maintain. Everyone ( Cisco,Microsoft, Comptia), keeps changing the rules on what it takes to get certified. Also, there are certs that several hiring members never heard of. I feel like after awhile these certs just get removed, like they never existed.

Jon_Cisco

I was hoping to renew my CCNA this year but I am a bit behind since I need to finish my MCSA and I am working on VCP now. I'm thinking since they finally announced an update I might just put it off till February and try the new tests. Timing should actually work out well for my current schedule and goals.

kaiju

Take CCNA security and your CCNA will be renewed.

alexkurban

Finally a Wireless will have the importance that it really have. I don't know why a huge and a daily topic as Wireless haven't a currently update and importance as itreally have. Well, let's finish CCNP RS and proceed with DevNet, Security and Wireless

Mike R

Spiegel said:

This is an insane overhaul. Haven't take the CCNA Security or CCDA class yet at WGU. But based on the information provided, if I manage to pass my ICND2 before Feb 24 2020 and become CCNA R & S certified that should earn me the new CCNA, and if my thinking is correct (if WGU haven't updated their NOS program by then) the new CCNA cert will cover my Security and CCDA courses.So I essentially clear 3 classes with one cert.

I seriously doubt WGU is going to let you auto clear 10 credits like that. I'm waiting to find out from WGU's cisco team what the new plan is. I either see them going to the dev certs from cisco or migrating us to an already existing new degree plan.

TWX

NetworkingStudent said:

DZA_ said:

I think at this point in my career that I am going to retire my CCNA at the end of August. The upkeep for certificates are just getting out of hand.

I wish I was at this point in my career. I agree Certs are getting harder to maintain. Everyone ( Cisco,Microsoft, Comptia), keeps changing the rules on what it takes to get certified. Also, there are certs that several hiring members never heard of. I feel like after awhile these certs just get removed, like they never existed.

Actually maintaining them appears to have gotten easier. Current model for A and P level certs requires retesting every three years, with retests on the same subject as burdensome as they were to get them originally, and crossing disciplines equally burdensome. The new model, by having a core exam and a single focus exam might make recerting easier and cheaper.

And that's before you consider that they're now allowing continuing-education to count in lieu of exams. My work, for example, is regularly invited to official Cisco events, and we have a monthly Cisco users group meeting that's semi-sanctioned by Cisco. I expect that semi-sanctioning to become full sanctioning and for presentations and training in these events to count towards recertification credits. Heck, I may not have to retest at all if they'll count this stuff in order to maintain my cert.

And isn't that the whole point? A combination of work experience and demonstrated continuing-education as a means to prove that one's cert should still retain validity?

kaiju

Maintenance is definitely going to be easier. It actually pushes cert holders to expand laterally and then upwards. I imagine there will be more elective/specialist certs to satisfy CE's for CCNA by Feb 2020. Not everybody wants to jump into the CCNP certs but three years is plenty of time to complete the CCNP core cert and one elective.

I think the new CCT and CCNA certs will separate the resume padders from the actual knowledgeable technicians. Especially since the new CCNA will cover such a wide range of information.

Mooseboost

I think the new CCNA is going to be a positive refresh of their Associate level certifications. I think it also matches what an associate level (junior to early mid) level engineer is going to experience in their job roles. For example, at most NOCs the Associate level folks are not going to be specialized. At the level the CCNA is aimed for, having a broad set of general knowledge is important. At a Cisco shop, you could expect to be tasked with triage of a voice ticket just likely as a routing issue. For folks outside of a Cisco shop, I think the knowledge transfer won’t be quite as specific but that would be true for the other certifications as well. You wouldn’t grab a CCNA:S to better manage SRXs, you would go for the JNCIS security track.

I don’t think the exam is going to be incredibly difficult. Look at the Network+, it is vendor neutral and covers a broad range of topics. Of course, Cisco could throw a curveball and make the new CCNA silly difficult but it would be very surprising.

cyberguypr

There’s some FB noise saying that Cyber Ops stays and what’s posted on Cisco.com is inaccurate. Anyone following that or have heard more?

wseyller

So I am at a decision myself that I haven't fully found an answer to. I have already a CCNP R&S. I have been studying for CCNA Sec. The cisco site says "oh keep going" and you get some kind of badge or recognition. Well it cost $300 to take. What do I really get. I don't need to renew my current CCNA. My thought is now to study for the new core CCNP Security since I don't need a CCNA Sec to take that. Sure it will be harder and I would have to study more stuff but I have time to do that. If CCNA Sec help toward the new CCPN Sec then that would be different, but I don't understand what you get from it.

chriscurtis83

wseyller said:

So I am at a decision myself that I haven't fully found an answer to. I have already a CCNP R&S. I have been studying for CCNA Sec. The cisco site says "oh keep going" and you get some kind of badge or recognition. Well it cost $300 to take. What do I really get. I don't need to renew my current CCNA. My thought is now to study for the new core CCNP Security since I don't need a CCNA Sec to take that. Sure it will be harder and I would have to study more stuff but I have time to do that. If CCNA Sec help toward the new CCPN Sec then that would be different, but I don't understand what you get from it.

Since new CCNA holders after Feb can't get the badge I don't see it holding any weight or meaning anything.

MitM

If you have CCNA, CCNA Security and CCNA Collab, etc...you'll get the new CCNA cert and a training badge in the other areas

If you complete any current CCNA/CCDA certification before February 24, you’ll receive the new CCNA certification and a training badge in the corresponding technology area.

I think a lot of people might skip the CCNA now, since there are no prerequisites for Professional level tracks now

yoba222

Training badges . . . I foresee me collecting these in an e-junk-drawer right next to all of the Comptia stackable badges or whatever they're called.

MontagueVandervort

Wow! Looks like everything has been massively dumbed down.

This is very alarming.

I'll try not to go on overload until I can look at the books. 🤣

Spiegel

It looks like certain outdated concepts are being removed from the CCNA such as: RIP, OSPFv3, and BGP

MontagueVandervort

Yes, it looks like everything's been "bumped".

I would say that the CCNP seems like it's now what the CCNA was, and the CCNA seems like it's now what the CCENT was ...

But since nothing even requires prereqs anymore ( 🤣 ) ... either these programs are extraordinarily easy or remarkably difficult.

We'll see!

kaiju

I think you guys are forgetting about CCT.

MontagueVandervort

No, I saw CCT haha. It was there before all of this though.

Not even sure where to shove that in the overall concept.

I didn't know what to think of it before either when I first saw it, but I figured it was a precursor of things to come.

Which is why I did expect all of this... just not this soon. 🤣

I wasn't expecting any of this until 2020/2021.

DFTK13

Spiegel said:

It looks like certain outdated concepts are being removed from the CCNA such as: RIP, OSPFv3, and BGP

Spiegel said:

It looks like certain outdated concepts are being removed from the CCNA such as: RIP, OSPFv3, and BGP

About time...it was a colossal waste of time to learn about RIP especially that no one uses it in production networks...

JDMurray

Deadlines to know:

If you have started working toward any current CCNA or CCDA certification, keep going. You have until February 23, 2020 to complete your current CCNA/CCDA.

If you complete any current CCNA/CCDA certification before February 24, you’ll receive the new CCNA certification and a training badge in the corresponding technology area.

If you already have Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) certification and would like to earn CCNA, you have until February 23 to complete your CCNA certification in the current program. As of February 24, you will need to take the new exam to complete CCNA certification.

chriscurtis83

JDMurray said:

Deadlines to know:
If you have started working toward any current CCNA or CCDA certification, keep going. You have until February 23, 2020 to complete your current CCNA/CCDA.
If you complete any current CCNA/CCDA certification before February 24, you’ll receive the new CCNA certification and a training badge in the corresponding technology area.
If you already have Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) certification and would like to earn CCNA, you have until February 23 to complete your CCNA certification in the current program. As of February 24, you will need to take the new exam to complete CCNA certification.

The badges are stupid

DFTK13

The thing that I really like is continuing education points now apply to the lower level certs.

chriscurtis83

DFTK13 said:

The thing that I really like is continuing education points now apply to the lower level certs.

DFTK13 said:

The thing that I really like is continuing education points now apply to the lower level certs

The CE's are awesome and that was what was keeping me from getting the CCNP. I already hated taking 1 test and having to keep taking it over and after 3 years. This doesn't solve the test issue but does solve the having to keep taking them.

NetworkingStudent

What does the training badge do?

Is just for your linked in?

Iristheangel

Essentially what is happening is there will be just one exam instead of two CCNA exams or multiple tracks - this is how it used to be. But instead of focusing just one R&S, it's focusing a little on design, security, wireless and R&S - but it's more spread out, not deeper. If anything, the level of routing on the CCNA will be much much much less in depth:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030959/uploads/editor/3x/c860mquonggj.jpg

No more BGP, EIGRP, or RIP - which isn't exactly something I'm happy about since single-hop eBGP is pretty important for a jr guy or gal who has to sept up a small site or if you get hired at a company that uses EIGRP as their IGP or for DMVPN.

As far as the CCNP level, there's still SP, DC, Security and Collab which will all have design elements to it but with the CCNP Enterprise, it can be a grab bag of topics: SD-WAN, SD-Access, advanced routing, wireless, etc. To get a CCNP Enterprise, you're doing the Core exam which has the equivalent of today's CCNA v3 level of routing on it + one elective:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030959/uploads/editor/a0/0lnct2mqd2an.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030959/uploads/editor/33/ei8d9q1j5req.jpg

If you want to get certified on more routing, here's where you have to go:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030959/uploads/editor/ld/9oh7egixussk.jpg

DFTK13

NetworkingStudent said:

What does the training badge do?

Is just for your linked in?

It shows that Pokémon up to a certain level will obey you and you can use certain hidden machines. Sorry I couldn’t resist...lol.

As far as I can see, it’s to show you’ve completed a certain specialist track, it replaces the different ccna tracks, I may be wrong.

NetworkingStudent

So is the new CCNA , more like the CCENT? Maybe even like the Network+?

What happened to the Cyber Ops Cert? Is Cisco still offer tracks for the Ctber Ops cert?

NetworkingStudent

DFTK13 said:

NetworkingStudent said:

What does the training badge do?

Is just for your linked in?

It shows that Pokémon up to a certain level will obey you and you can use certain hidden machines. Sorry I couldn’t resist...lol.

As far as I can see, it’s to show you’ve completed a certain specialist track, it replaces the different ccna tracks, I may be wrong.

Right!!! Gotta catch them all.

I remember when you just got a cert, and that was it.

Now you got badges, and stackable certs. Blah

malachi1612

I was going to start my CCNA:Cyber Ops at the end of the year. No point now. CCNA:Cyber Ops didnt last long!

JDMurray

cyberguypr said:

There’s some FB noise saying that Cyber Ops stays and what’s posted on Cisco.com is inaccurate. Anyone following that or have heard more?

I would really like to see a CCNA + SOC Speciality certification. The current CCNA CyberOps is not worth the money.